East African states to send troops to monitor South Sudan ceasefire - mediator

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - East African states agreed on Thursday to deploy troops into South Sudan by mid-April to help enforce a ceasefire deal between government forces and rebels, the chief mediator in peace talks between the two sides said.

Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda will contribute troops while Djibouti is also expected to join a force that will seek logistical support from the African Union and the United Nations Security Council.

"These troops are envisaged to be on the ground by no later than mid-April," Seyoum Mesfin, chief mediator of peace talks between South Sudan's feuding sides, told journalists in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.